Soya Keema and some plans on time saving and cooking ahead

 

 It has already been a week since I made my last post! When I had glanced at the number of posts for May, last, I was so satisfied that I had a smirk on my face just like the proverbial cat who got the cream.
Patted myself on the back for three days straight ... knowing that I will be making a post again soon.
And then, before I know it ... whooosh ... a whole week flies by.
Not good; not good at all.
So, inspite of today being my masala making day, here I am, sitting since morning, editing pics and writing to you.

I think I have already written about the beautiful, beautiful weather we are having here right now.
So won't go into that ... but may I make a passing remark about how cold the mornings have become and how I am just loving that cup of hot, ginger tea and my balcony these days? And did I mention the cold breeze too? I did?! Really?!
And the greenery shining bright all around? That too?

Then I must move on to serious stuff now. No point in rubbing the salt in.
Here's wishing you rains and beautiful weather too in your part of the world.

Just a few days back, a reader, Barnana, requested to make a post on how I planned and cooked ahead.
And coincidentally this same topic came up in one of the groups I am in on FB.
I had given some pointers that I follow religiously in my kitchen and life.
So when I saw Barnana's request, I clicked some photos too.

There were, of course, a lot of yeses and nos, regarding cooking ahead.
But I know how big a help it is if you plan ahead ; and cook ahead too.
If you are single, or working, or both, or a housewife with a small baby, whether you are a family of two or ten,  if you are ill and have difficulty spending long hours in the kitchen ...... planning ahead and cooking ahead is a huge help.

I will not go into purists' criticism of eating food from the fridge.
I believe if you have technology, make it your friend. Especially the refrigerator.
Believe me, it is much better than calling in food from the restaurant ... where food is much older and stale than you can imagine.
Know which is the coldest shelf and which has slightly higher temperature.
And store your things accordingly.
Do keep a track if your area is prone to power cuts and store accordingly.
We do not have power cuts ... so can store things for more than two or three days without a problem.

Cut and store vegetables like lauki, karela, drumsticks, pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, etc.
Place a paper napkin on the top and make sure you store them in an airtight box.
Don't cut and store potatoes, beets, brinjals, etc. Basically stuff that oxidise fast should not be cut before hand.

Knead atta for two days. I would not suggest to store it for more than two days.
Make rice for two or more days.
It can also be used later in numerous ways , if you don't want it plain any more.

Soak legumes and store.
This is my batch today - Rajma, White matar for my no masala quick ghugni, green moong dal for cheelas / pesarattu and rice for idli or dosa or handvo.

Pick green, leafy vegetables like the palak/spinach, methi, dhaniya etc. and store in airtight containers with some paper napkins in.
All these can be done when you are sitting down ... like watching the tv.
Involve family members, if possible.  It takes out the monotony of the task as well as allows for time to spend together.
Mummy (mil) brings out her bunch of leafy vegetables when we sit down with our evening tea. All of us join in and it soon turns into a happy get together. Everybody gets drawn to that room and join in with the cosy banter. As well as with the work at hand.

Boil milk and store in the coldest part of your fridge.
Make paneer ... you can make bhurji or parathas with it. 
Boil potatoes and store , but not in airtight containers.

Make sprouts of green moong, kala chana, etc.
I always have a bowlful of fresh green sprouts in the fridge.

They make great salads, can add to muri or puffed rice for a snack or use in upmas, noodles or just make a stir fry when you run out of vegetables.
You can grind them up and make quick and healthy cheelas or pancakes too.


Soak rice and dal for idli batter.
I almost always make it in bulk and store in the fridge.
Other than the idli, you can make dosas, poda pitha, santlano pithe or the plain chakli pithe to eat with curries or bhajas.
Check out this link for a lot of other options.
Works great when you do not feel like making rotis or do not have kneaded atta.
Or when you have sudden guests.

Make dry masalas one day.
Keep a day of light cooking and use the time to make masalas. You can make a one pot meal on that day.
I make coriander powder, jeera powder, bhaja moshlas and some garam masalas at home.
Make in small batches and store in air tight bottles.

Make wet masals on another day.

Grind onions, ginger, garlic, green chillies, tomatoes etc. and store in ice trays.
I sometimes cook all of these together with turmeric + salt + chilli powder + a little garam masala ( kosha moshla) and store in ice trays. Just add a cube or two to vegetables or fish or chicken and you have a dish ready in minutes.

Grate coconut and refrigerate.
I cannot use a grater, so just cut into pieces and run in a mixer ... just one or two pulses will do.

Keep a paper and pen and you can jot down what you need to pick on your next grocery trip, or what to cook for the next day, etc. Menu planning is half the job done.
I have a slate to write down. Or sometimes write straight on the tiles. :)

As you can see, at any moment of time, I have at least two or three lists on my kitchen walls.

Kitchen management is all about time management.
A little planning ahead will help you to great lengths.
And you will have enough time in your hands to follow your hobbies or finish other chores.

Do check out my next post on how to prepare and freeze things for later use.

Hope this helps. 
I will keep updating this post as and when I come across anything new.
Good luck!!

Now to today's recipe.
A quick, spicy Soya curry.
I have been trying to get some protein into B, a pure vegetarian.
Soya granules are a good option as he refuses to touch the chunks.
These granules can be cooked in numerous ways other than this curry ... ideas that I have come up with to mask them and make B eat without knowing .... posts coming up soon.

This resembles the non vegetarian kheema that we usually make with chicken or mutton.
Slightly on the richer side, this makes for a great dinner when paired with parathas or luchis/puris.
Of course, goes great with the good old roti too.

Need :
Soya granules - 1 cup ( I use Nutrela )
Garam masala powder - 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Onion paste - 1 tbsp
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Tomato paste - 2 tbsp
Whole garam masala - cloves+cinnamon+black cardamom+bay leaf
Dry red chillies - 2, broken
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander / Dhaniya powder - 1 tbsp
Cumin / Jeera powder - 1 tsp

Fresh coriander leaves - chopped
Salt - to taste
Sugar - to taste
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp ( I use mustard oil )

How to :

Soak the soya kheema in enough water for an hour.
Squeeze out the water well.
Take enough water in a big pan and add the soaked soya granules with  water + salt + vinegar + 1 tsp of garam masala powder.
This gets rid of that typical smell that dry soya has.

Heat oil in a deep kadahi or pan.
Add the whole garam masala and the red chillies.


Next, add the onion paste and fry a little.

Now add the ginger paste, garlic paste and fry well.


Add the turmeric + red chilli powder + dhania powder + jeera powder + salt.
Fry till dryish.


Now add the tomato paste and fry well.

Add the boiled soya keema, garam masala powder, salt and sugar.
Mix well.
Add a little water if needed.

Cover and simmer for around 20 minutes.

Remove cover and check consistency of your choice. I make it very dryish.
Check for salt.

Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves and cover and let it stand for a few minutes.

Serve hot with rotis or parathas or puris.

This is great on the side with plain rice or with the polau too, if you are making a vegetarian feast.

Enjoy!!

Spicy Soya Chunks / Nuggets Curry

As I write this, the weather outside is a far cry from these sunny snaps I took this weekend. It has been raining non stop for the last 32 or more hours ... a steady downpour that shows no signs of weakening.

It started with a cloud build up that sent the city's humidity levels soaring. As we are on a higher floor and there is a lot of greenery around, we are used to feeling the clouds and the dampness of very fine droplets if we are on our balcony when they pass right through.
{ This is not fog or rain ... it's a cloud covering. }

And then the rains started. All through the days and nights. And it is raining still.

It has been declared as cyclonic weather. I looked out to confirm. The branches were moving ... say at the most at a 35 degrees ... ok maybe 45 degrees ... angle. Bah. :-

Anybody who has grown up in Orissa or West Bengal ... or for that matter on any coast knows very well what a cyclone is. Here there is not even a normal wild, windy wind.

Still ... I can see the rain pelting down. And take heart. My knitting will not go get burried yet again ... unused. ;-)

It is real cold now and it has already been 3 hot cuppas for me. I so wanted to bake some Onion Crackers ... but there has been frequent power failures ... and my oven does not run on UPS.

So right now am balancing preferences between a quilt+ a book or knitting. Maybe some spicy hot Beguni later. :-)


Coming to my recipe today, anybody who is a frequent here knows how little masalas or onion+ginger+garlic paste I use for my dishes. But once in a while I do make that paste ... and come up with some spicy stuff ... usually chicken or fish.

This time I wanted to make Soya chunks / nuggets. Many people do not like soya chunks ... pure vegetarians for that spongy meat like texture and some non vegetarians for that distinct smell a soya nugget usually has.

The other half falls in both categories. But I had decided not to give up converting him just yet. So this time I tried to add some of my own ideas while cooking these nuggets.
And the curry came out so well.

If you are one of those who hesitate to try out the soya nugget dishes, try this version of mine.

The procedure may look very long ... but it does not take too much time to make this. :-)


Need : Soya Chunks or nuggets ( I used Nutrela's) , chopped garlic,
whole or unbroken garam masalas ( some laung /cloves, some choti elaichi / green cardamom, 1 or 2 tej patta / bay leaves ) , kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves, sliced onions,
onion paste, ginger paste, garlic paste ... in the ratio of 2:1:1 ,
haldi / turmeric powder, tomato puree,
red chilli powder, garam masala powder, enough water, a little juice of lemon,
a little ghee / clarified butter, a little cooking oil, salt and sugar to taste.

How to : Soak the Soya chunks in enough water for around 5 hours. If you plan to make this for dinner then soak them in the morning.

Squeeze out the water well from the chunks ... use your hands ... they are the best tools.

Take enough water in a big deep pan. Add the soya chunks, the whole garam masalas, the chopped garlic and salt. Cover and boil for a round half an hour ... or till the soya chunks are very well cooked.
I made up this step as it ensures the soya chunks get rid of their distinct smell.

Alternatively you can do this in a pressure cooker ... it will be faster and the chunks cook really well.

Drain the chunks in a soup strainer ... that way you get to retain the garam masalas and garlic.
Cool and again squeeze out the water well.

Shred the chunks with your hands ... they should break into little pieces. I did this step so that they soak up the gravy well. And lose that chewy feel in a bite.



Heat a little ghee in a heavy wok or a non stick vessel.
Add the shredded soya chunks and fry them well for sometime. Remove and keep aside.

In the same pan, heat some cooking oil. Add the sliced onions and fry well till they lose the raw smell.

Now add the onion paste and fry for some time. Then add the ginger and garlic pastes and keep frying till they lose the raw smell.

Crush the kasuri methi and add now.
Add tumeric, red chilli powder and keep stirring on high heat for around a minute.

Add the tomato puree and keep stirring till it is cooked and mixes well.

Lower heat, add the soya chunks and mix well.
Add enough water to cover the chunks ( remember ... the chunks will soak up water ... so add according to your desired amount of gravy ).

Adjust salt and sugar ( just a little for taste ).
Cover the pan and let it simmer for sometime on low heat ... or till you get the desired amount of gravy.

After a while remove cover , sprinkle some powdered garam masala and lemon juice. Keep it covered till serving time.

The chunks were very soft in the end ... did not have that chewy texture at all. :-)
Serve hot. Goes great with hot rotis or parathas (Indian flat breads).


Enjoy all !!

PS : Btw .. I had some spicy Jhaal muri / Masala muri with hot ginger tea for ... hold your breath ... dinner ... last night.
What? Didn't I tell you about the weather just ?! ;-)


Other recipes with onion+ginger+garlic paste masala :
Masala Chicken
Crispy Chole / Crispy Fried Chickpeas
Kosha Dim
Easy Paneer Butter Masala